New study shows that migration flyways and winter destinations of sparrows...
A new paper by Dr. Jeremy Ross from the University of Oklahoma describes the use of tiny devices strapped to birds' backs called geolocators, which capture the individual migration routes of lark...
View ArticleStudy traces evolutionary origins of migration in New World birds
Every year, millions of birds make the journey from North America to Central and South America for the winter. But the evolutionary origins of this long-distance migration have remained opaque due to...
View ArticleNatural selection causes early migration and shorter parental care for...
All bird migrations are fraught with danger – from the risk of not finding enough food, to facing stormy weather, and most importantly – trying not to be eaten along the way. Raptors such as peregrine...
View ArticleResearchers track fall migratory patterns of insects
To study the nocturnal flight patterns of migrating insects during the fall, researchers at the University of Delaware have been spending their nights on the Newark Farm launching a balloon equipped...
View ArticleDutch barnacle geese have more active immune system than same species in the...
Bird migration is an impressive phenomenon, but why birds often travel huge distances to and from their breeding grounds in the far North is still very unclear. Suggestions include that the birds...
View ArticleOne good turn: Birds swap energy-sapping lead role
Migrating birds 'share the pain' of the arduous task of leading a v-formation, so that they can then take turns saving energy by following in another bird's wake, a new study shows.
View ArticleSongbirds make mysterious altitude changes during nighttime migratory flights
A new mystery has been discovered in the migratory behavior of birds! Many songbirds travel long distances during their annual migrations, and it makes sense for them to do everything they can to...
View ArticleStudy shows nesting under white lights causes increased hormone levels in...
(Phys.org)—A small team of researchers with members from The Netherlands Institute of Ecology, the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and Wageningen University has found that wild great tits living...
View ArticleNocturnal, compass-guided insects have a sense for turbulence too
When nocturnal insects make their high-flying journeys through the darkness of night, they may have more than an internal compass to guide them on their way. Researchers reporting in the Cell Press...
View ArticleHow do migrating birds avoid predators while fueling up?
Birds stopping for a break during their grueling migratory flights face a difficult tradeoff: They need to fuel up with food as efficiently as possible, but they need to avoid predators while they do...
View ArticleHow wind might impact birds' migration routes
For centuries, scientists have been working to unravel the many mysteries of bird migration, studying where birds go, how they find their way, and how much of the information they need is inherited and...
View ArticleUncovered: The engangered European roller's route between Africa and Europe
Its blue and brown-coloured plumage is undoubtedly the most distinctive feature of the European roller, a threatened migratory bird. Up until now, little was known about this bird's migration patterns...
View ArticleMigratory birds need less time to travel longer routes when they optimize for...
Each year migratory birds travel over thousands of kilometres. In spring and autumn, billions of individuals move from colder and less productive areas across vast distances to warmer and more...
View ArticleStudy finds migration strategy predicts stopover ecology in shorebirds
As anyone who has ever taken a long car trip knows, frequent rest and refueling stops are needed to make it to the destination. For migratory birds, this is the case as well, only they fuel up on food...
View ArticleThe cuckoo sheds new light on the scientific mystery of bird migration
The cuckoo is not only capable of finding its way from unknown locations; it does this through a highly complex individual decision making process. Such skills have never before been documented in...
View ArticleHow variation in body size correlates with en-route migration performance in...
Researchers relate migration performance to body and wing size in migratory songbirds. The original article "The influence of morphological variation on migration performance in a trans-hemispheric...
View ArticleNocturnal migrating songbirds drift with crosswinds and compensate near...
Using novel, recently developed techniques for analysis of Doppler polarimetric weather surveillance radar data, a University of Oklahoma team examined impediments (crosswinds and oceans) of...
View ArticleStudy suggests that longer-distance migratory birds may be smarter
Birds that migrate the greatest distances have more new neurons in the regions of the brain responsible for navigation and spatial orientation, suggests a new paper published in Scientific Reports.
View ArticleBan on drones over Pennsylvania lands gets preliminary OK
The Pennsylvania Game Commission has given preliminary approval to banning drones over 1.5 million acres of state game lands after reports of the unmanned craft near bald eagles' nests and drones...
View ArticleUncovering the purpose of birds' extra fat
Ornithologists have long wondered why some birds carry more fat than they need to fuel their migration, and a new study in The Auk: Ornithological Advances provides the answer: Leftover fuel from...
View ArticleSea habits of migratory birds highlight conservation need in the Canary Current
Scientists have tracked the behaviour of seabirds migrating across the Atlantic to better understand how these animals use the marine environment and find out where they might come into conflict with...
View ArticleInteractive, open source visualizations of nocturnal bird migrations in near...
New flow visualizations using data from weather radar networks depict nocturnal bird migrations, according to a study published August 24, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Judy...
View ArticleAge before youth: Older cranes lead the way to new migration patterns
Bird migration patterns are changing rapidly worldwide due to climate and land use changes, and in the case of the endangered whooping crane, its age before youth, leading the way.
View ArticleMigrating birds speed up in spring
It turns out being the early bird really does have its advantages. A new study in The Auk: Ornithological Advances shows that migrating birds fly faster and put more effort into staying on course in...
View ArticleRoutes of migratory birds follow today's peaks in resources
Movement of migratory birds is closely linked to seasonal availability of resources. The birds locate the areas with the most resources across continents. Researchers from the Center for Macroecology,...
View ArticleSandpiper detectives pinpoint trouble spots in continent-wide migration
Understanding and managing migratory animal populations requires knowing what's going on with them during all stages of their annual cycle—and how those stages affect each other. The annual cycle can...
View ArticleEagles migrate through bad weather to arrive in time to nest
Migration is tough, and birds do everything they can to optimize it. How do factors like weather and experience affect the strategies they choose? A new study from The Auk: Ornithological Advances...
View ArticleReview highlights challenges faced by birds in the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is hugely important to birds that migrate between North America and the Neotropics—almost all migrants have to go around it or across it. Coastal habitats around the Gulf of Mexico...
View ArticleBirds' migration genes are conditioned by geography
The genetic make-up of a willow warbler determines where it will migrate when winter comes. Studies of willow warblers in Sweden, Finland and the Baltic States show that "migration genes" differ -...
View ArticleFly away home? Ice age may have clipped bird migration
The onset of the last ice age may have forced some bird species to abandon their northerly migrations for thousands of years, says new research led by a University of Nebraska-Lincoln ornithologist.
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